Why You Must Plan for Idea Selection

When you crowdsource for ideas, there is the possibility that you will get thousands of replies. This is why it is very important that you plan how ideas are selected, which happens twice. The first time is once they are presented, and the second is when they have been tested. By having a process and plan in place for this, you will be far more likely to end up with an idea that can actually be implemented and made to work. Let’s take a look at some important tips.

Build and Expand on Ideas

First of all, when you crowdsource for ideas, they aren’t complete yet. They must be properly reviewed, clustered into categories, and then expanded upon. An affinity diagram can be a very useful tool for this, as it helps you to identify whether there are any underlying themes. You should also make sure that as many people as possible are involved in this stage, for instance by leaving the crowdsource or idea management software platform fully open.

Meet the Objectives of Your Company

Once you have completed the first step and have various categories of ideas, you need to determine which of those categories actually meet the mission, vision, goals, and objectives of your company. Ideas can be very good, but simply not relevant. Those can be shelved rather than discarded. Other ideas will never be relevant, in which case they should be removed immediately. At this point, internal stakeholders have to be involved, as they understand the company culture and its mission and vision.

Understand that Good Ideas Don’t Have to Be Great Ideas

Many of those who look through ideas only pay attention to those that could really be “the next big thing”. But a small improvement on a relatively insignificant process can have far-reaching positive benefits. In fact, really big, company-changing ideas should be reviewed completely separately (they should be in a different category at step 1, in fact).

Test Whether Any Assumptions Are Right

As human beings, we make assumptions. For instance, we assume we know the customer. While this cannot be helped, what can be helped is taking those assumptions as gospel. Instead, you have to test them. This is absolutely fundamental, as directing a new idea towards a demographic that doesn’t actually exist will lead to instant failure.

Be Ready for Resistance

Last but not least, you have to be ready for some resistance. People do not like change, whether they are your employees, your customers, or your board members. There will always be a nay-sayer who believes things will go completely wrong. You need to channel that into a learning process that delivers something positive.

Many of us simply fall in to a career, often we take what we can get and make turn it into our career rather than seeking it out specifically, many of us may have a particular skill and be able to find a career doing that whereas some of us never really find a career per se, we just take on a job and see where it takes us. The problem with choosing a career in this way is that we can become miserable down the line, we add responsibilities to our lives like houses and cars and it can be difficult to switch once you have started.

Thankfully, it is never too late to switch careers, it is all about just taking the risk and finding a job which plays to your strengths and will be one that you enjoy. If you are someone who is great with numbers then here are a few job choices which you could look at for your new career.

TaxAccountant

Businesses rely heavily on tax accountants in order for them to stay legal, ensure that they are not paying too much or too little tax and to stay on top of the ever changing requirements of taxation. In order to gain a position as a tax accountant you will need to pass the relevant exams which allow you to practice taxation. You will also need to be an expert in the field of taxation and ensure that you stay abreast of any changes that take place in the law.

Broker

Being a successful stock broker like JP Morgan’s Michael Briese requires that you have strong numerical skills, the analytical ability to process great amounts of financial information such as market movements, forecasts and stock prices and also a great bedside manner. You will be measured heavily on your success and your ability to build and maintain relationships and in return you will be rewarded with a handsome salary and a job in an exciting industry.

Teacher

If you have a strong ability when it comes to numbers then why not put your skills to use as a teacher. Mathematics is often viewed as quite a boring subject by many students and one which is difficult for a great deal of them to truly understand. Math teachers are required to not only impart great math knowledge but also to make learning fun and more importantly, make it relatable for the student. If you think that you have the charisma, the creativity and the knowledge to be able to teach math then this could be a great career choice for you that will be very rewarding personally.

These are just a few of the great careers which you could elect that will allow you to utilize your ability with numbers. The key thing to remember is that it is never too late for a career switch and as long as you are confident that you can do the job well, there should be no fear around leaving that old career behind.

Guide to the Perfect Business and Pleasure Trip

Business travel is often combined with pleasure travel by simply extending it into the weekend so that you can enjoy some much needed down time in a place that you may either enjoy or have not been to and always wanted to explore. Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of your combined trip.

Plan Ahead

When planning to include some leisure time into your business trip go online and research what there is to do in the destination that you will be visiting. Also, ask your business associates in that area what they recommend that you do and see while you are there. They will be only too happy to tell you all of the wonderful sites and places that their home town has to offer.

By planning out a tentative schedule of places and things to do in your limited free time, you will avoid wasting valuable time on the road trying to look up things to do. This also provides you with the opportunity to investigate hours of operation for the places that you want to see, so that you don’t plan to do something on day or at a time that they are not actually open.

Ask for Extended Stay Rates

Many hotels offer extended stay rates that could save you and your company money when you stay a few extra days. You may even find that your extended stay rate comes in under your daily travel allotment so that you are not actually spending any personal cash on your hotel stay.

Use a Car Service

Mentally transitioning into vacation mode when you are on a combined trip can sometimes be difficult. One way to do this is to treat yourself with something that you would not normally do at home or on a business trip. Items such as having a meal in a gourmet restaurant or using a limo service for a night out help you unwind and get into that vacation mentality. When in Australia, limo hire Perth is an excellent choice to consider.

Follow the Locals

While you are out and about do some people watching and take notice of where the locals all seem to be heading for meals or entertainment. This is a way to get a first-hand feel for how the locals live and what they enjoy about where they live. It’s also one of the best ways to find the most unique and delicious food in town.

A business trip can easily be combined with a mini-vacation if you take the time to prepare for both aspects of the trip, and make an effort to let your mind get into the correct mindset for vacation travel. Combining business and mini-vacation trips is an excellent way to see much more of the world for much less money than you might be able to do with separate business and vacation trips; it also helps your body rejuvenate when on the road for work.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!